Qiulae Wong, the polished 38-year-old leader of New Zealand’s Opportunity Party, is pitching a universal basic income of $210 per week ... Show more

Meet the millennial centrist shaking up New Zealand’s election
‘They mustn’t stay there without hope’: Mbalula backs basic income grant for youth without matric
timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-10-25-they-mustnt-stay-there-without-hope-mbalula-backs-basic-income-grant-for-youth-without-matric/
‘They mustn’t stay there without hope’: Mbalula backs basic income grant ...
Key FactsMbalula proposes income support for youth without matric
Oct 25, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: timeslive.co.za
  • Mbalula proposed giving young people who leave school without matric a stipend in the form of a basic income grant.

  • The government extended the R370 SRD grant for another year, until March 2028; permanent income support remains unresolved.

  • In the second quarter of 2026, unemployment among 15- to 34-year-olds was 47.4%, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous quarter.

  • Preliminary MTBPS estimates suggest annual funding needs could rise from about R36bn to R74bn if the ruling is upheld.
  • They leave school without matric. Those children, we are going to take them and give them a stipend in the form of a basic income grant so that they can grow. They mustn’t stay there without hope because they don’t have matric.
    — ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said this while addressing community members at Emamnedwini Hall in uMshwathi, KwaZulu-Natal, about financial support for young people without matric.
OpinionBasic Income Reform: Friedrich Merz Has Disappointed with the Basic Income Scheme
wiwo.de/politik/deutschland/buergergeldreform-friedrich-merz-hat-mit-der-grundsicherung-enttaeuscht/100264195.html
Basic Income Reform: Friedrich Merz Has Disappointed with the Basic Income ...
Key FactsBasic Security: Savings Remain Minimal So Far
Oct 24, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: wiwo.de
  • Since July, the new basic security system replaced Bürgergeld and introduced tougher sanctions.

  • According to Süddeutsche Zeitung calculations, federal spending through September totaled €31.2 billion, versus €31.6 billion in the same period last year.

  • The savings were not linked to the reform, according to the article; the Federal Employment Agency cites more refugees finding work.

  • In January, the Social State Commission proposed better coordination of benefits and financial incentives to work more.
  • "to save easily and simply with the Bürgergeld"— Friedrich Merz, then CDU leader and top candidate, said this during the TV duel with then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Does a basic income make people more satisfied?: A basic income is intended to give people more freedom. An initiative is researching the effects and raffling ...
nordkurier.de/regional/neustrelitz/neustrelitz-und-umland/macht-ein-grundeinkommen-die-menschen-zufriedener-4936145
Does a basic income make people more satisfied?
Benefits cut: Financial fiasco for citizen's allowance recipient Pascal: Things are getting serious for Pascal on "Hartz and Hearty": After his internship in ...
focus.de/kultur/kino-tv/bezuege-gestrichen-finanzielles-fiasko-fuer-buergergeld-empfaenger-pascal_cdc4f06a-8ea4-4bcc-b866-c6a55605ae5e.html
Benefits cut: Financial fiasco for citizen's allowance recipient ...
Basic income: Bern rejects pilot project due to high costs: Ein Pilotversuch mit 300 Personen hätte die Stadt Bern 7,5 bis 9 Millionen Franken gekostet ...
derbund.ch/grundeinkommen-bern-lehnt-pilotprojekt-wegen-hoher-kosten-ab-747395574877
Basic income: Bern rejects pilot project due to high costs
Hoher Anteil in Berlin und Bremen: 1,4 Millionen Arbeitslose beziehen seit mindestens fünf Jahren Bürgergeld
spiegel.de/wirtschaft/1-4-millionen-arbeitslose-beziehen-seit-mindestens-fuenf-jahren-buergergeld-a-adc4a627-11e2-4d28-a2d2-724d9bc4ee12
Hoher Anteil in Berlin und Bremen: 1,4 Millionen Arbeitslose beziehen seit ...
Key Facts1.4 Million Receive Basic Support for at Least Five Years
Oct 12, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: spiegel.de
  • About 1.4 million people most recently received basic support for at least five years, representing roughly two in five recipients.

  • At the end of 2025, long-term recipients accounted for the highest shares in Berlin, at around 45 percent, and Bremen, at 43 percent.

  • The number of long-term unemployed rose from 2024; in 2025, it exceeded one million, compared with 700,000 in 2019.

  • In September, 3.7 million employable people received basic support, 145,000 fewer than in the same month the previous year.
  • It cannot be that so many people are receiving Bürgergeld at the taxpayers' expense, even though they could go to work.
    — René Springer, AfD labor-market politician, said this in the context of the debate over long-term Bürgergeld recipients.
Citizen's income: SPD politician Heil regrets his own project: The SPD politician transformed Hartz IV into a citizen's income. The SPD hoped this would ...
augsburger-allgemeine.de/politik/buergergeld-spd-politiker-heil-bereut-sein-eigenes-projekt-115465865
Citizen's income: SPD politician Heil regrets his own project
What many find almost unimaginable about everyday life with citizen's income: What can you still afford with citizen's income? How much does the job ...
krautreporter.de/politik-und-macht/6082-was-am-alltag-mit-burgergeld-fur-viele-kaum-vorstellbar-ist
What many find almost unimaginable about everyday life with citizen's ...
AI Should Benefit Everyone: Establish Federal Universal Basic Income: To: United States Congress Rent, groceries, and utility bills keep coming ...
change.org/p/ai-should-benefit-everyone-establish-federal-universal-basic-income
AI Should Benefit Everyone: Establish Federal Universal Basic Income
Two citizen's income promises broken? Union angry at "reform-sitter" Bas: Two coalition plans regarding citizen's income are still pending ...
op-online.de/politik/soeder-attackiert-bas-beim-buergergeld-sei-ziel-laengst-nicht-erreicht-zr-94524642.html
Two citizen's income promises broken? Union angry at
Welfare fraud - | wanted by penal order and still collecting citizen's benefits
schwaebische.de/politik/sozialbetrug-per-strafbefehl-gesucht-und-trotzdem-buergergeld-kassieren-4885932
Welfare fraud - | wanted by penal order and still collecting citizen's ...
Key FactsGovernment plans action against welfare-benefit abuse
Sep 23, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: schwaebische.de
  • On July 1, 2026, Germany had 170,667 outstanding arrest warrants.

  • People sought under warrants may still receive Bürgergeld or Grundsicherungsgeld without automatic cancellation of benefits.

  • Authorities do not know how many wanted people receive such benefits.

  • The planned action plan is also intended to hold employers using undeclared labor more accountable.
  • Whoever evades the state's reach should not receive any money from it.
    — Günter Krings, chairman of NRW CDU Members of the Bundestag, in an interview
OpinionUkrainians don't work enough? Germany should finally let them work: Fast 500.000 Ukrainer beziehen Bürgergeld. Ein Skandal? Ja – aber ein anderer als gedacht ...
schwaebische.de/kommentare/ukrainer-arbeiten-zu-wenig-deutschland-sollte-sie-endlich-arbeiten-lassen-4863200
Ukrainians don't work enough? Germany should finally let them work
Key FactsCommentary: Germany Should Remove Employment Barriers for Ukrainians
Sep 14, 2026 · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: schwaebische.de
  • Nearly 500,000 Ukrainians receive Bürgergeld, while Germany trails Poland, the Netherlands and Lithuania in integrating them into employment.

  • The commentary identifies language barriers, inadequate childcare, qualification recognition and obstructive administration as established employment hurdles.

  • Eighty percent of adult refugees are women; nearly half of these women live with minor children, mostly without partners.

  • Germany knew these requirements and had already had four years to create functioning labor-market integration.
More than 1500 cases: Citizen's benefit gangs scam job centers: Citizen's benefit fraud by gangs from Eastern Europe has been a problem for job centers ...
focus.de/politik/mehr-als-1500-faelle-buergergeld-banden-zocken-jobcenter-ab_58adbd74-ff7e-4c56-a10b-ad6afd6cf0c8.html
More than 1500 cases: Citizen's benefit gangs scam job centers
Key FactsBA Reports Over 1,500 Organised Benefit-Abuse Cases
Sep 3, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: focus.de
  • Since 2022, the BA recorded 1,524 cases nationwide; jobcenters filed criminal complaints in nearly 1,000 cases.

  • The BA covers only 300 jointly operated jobcenters; 104 municipal centers are missing, leading experts to suspect substantial underreporting.

  • According to the report, criminal groups use fictitious wages, false leases and inflated rents to obtain benefits.

  • A competence center with about twelve employees has operated in Nuremberg since July 1, 2026; five regional centers should follow from January 2027.
  • We will put an end to that.
    — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) criticized social abuse and promised decisive action against benefit fraud.
TV review: Sarah Tacke on basic income and citizen's income: Presenter Sarah Tacke uses the Thursday evening time slot for constructive journalism and ...
faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/medien-und-film/talkshow/tv-kritik-sarah-tacke-zu-grundsicherung-und-buergergeld-accg-201166487.html
TV review: Sarah Tacke on basic income and citizen's income
Söder calls spending on citizen's income a scandal: Citizen's income was already one of the Union's favorite topics in the last federal election ...
welt.de/regionales/bayern/article6a9e9c2a181cb962d4886b40/soeder-nennt-ausgaben-fuer-buergergeld-einen-skandal.html
Söder calls spending on citizen's income a scandal
Retirement Is Dead - Macleans.ca: Wage stagnation, inflation and sheer bad luck have left Gen Xers toiling into old age. Will we ever get to call it quits?
macleans.ca/longforms/retirement-is-dead/
Retirement Is Dead - Macleans.ca
The CDU/CSU overpromised with the basic income reform.: The CDU/CSU promised billions in savings with the basic income reform. The 2027 draft budget shows a mere ...
schwaebische.de/politik/bei-der-buergergeld-reform-hat-die-union-den-mund-zu-voll-genommen-4791169
The CDU/CSU overpromised with the basic income reform.
€576 more: Reform of basic income and child supplement would help millions of people.
fr.de/politik/kinderzuschlag-576-euro-mehr-durch-reform-von-buergergeld-und-zr-94451290.html
€576 more: Reform of basic income and child supplement would help millions ...
What the Opportunity Party's land tax would mean for house prices: The Opportunity Party's land tax proposal could cut house values by at least 10 ...
rnz.co.nz/news/politics_election-2026/1120357/what-the-opportunity-party-s-land-tax-would-mean-for-house-prices
What the Opportunity Party's land tax would mean for house prices
What are the Opportunity party's land tax and 'citizen's income'?: The party is soaring in the polls – we look at what they would bring if they make it into ...
1news.co.nz/2026/08/15/what-are-the-opportunity-partys-land-tax-and-citizens-income/
What are the Opportunity party's land tax and 'citizen's income'?
21.7 billion euros in citizen's allowance for foreigners: What's behind Siegmund's harsh accusation
hna.de/politik/afd-21-milliarden-euro-buergergeld-an-auslaender-was-ist-dran-zr-94438529.html
21.7 billion euros in citizen's allowance for foreigners: What's ...
Key FactsMDR broadly validates Siegmund’s welfare-benefit calculation
Aug 11, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
  • For 2025, the MDR calculates that 47.6 percent of recipients were foreign nationals, corresponding to about €21.7 billion out of €46.65 billion in total payments; nearly the same amount went to German nationals.

  • Siegmund’s figure of €20,000 per minute for Ukraine is also mathematically plausible, but the MDR says redirecting the money to the states would first require political decisions and inclusion in the federal budget.

  • Saxony-Anhalt spent about €1.2 billion on benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act from 2016 to 2025, while the interior ministry and the MDR rejected the claim that billions had been spent on asylum and integration.

  • According to Labour and Social Affairs Minister Petra Grimm-Benne (SPD), nearly 70,000 foreign nationals in Saxony-Anhalt have jobs covered by social insurance, representing nine percent of all employees.
  • We are giving money away to the whole world. Over 20 billion euros just for Bürgergeld payments to non-German citizens. Every minute, 20,000 euros go to Ukraine.
    — Ulrich Siegmund, AfD lead candidate for Saxony-Anhalt, in an MDR interview (MDR Aktuell).
No basic income, no pension, no income - | Seriously ill Tina despairs of the social system
tz.de/verbraucher/kranke-durch-das-system-fallen-grundsicherung-verweigert-wenn-zr-94447890.html
No basic income, no pension, no income - | Seriously ill Tina despairs of ...
Citizen's income became basic income support: At least the CDU/CSU kept its word on the name
schwaebische.de/politik/aus-buergergeld-wurde-grundsicherung-aber-kann-der-staat-so-sparen-4790305
Citizen's income became basic income support: At least the CDU/CSU ...
Flood of notices at the job center: AI fuels wave of citizen's allowance appeals
heise.de/news/Bescheid-Flut-im-Jobcenter-KI-befeuert-Welle-von-Buergergeld-Widerspruechen-11403812.html
Flood of notices at the job center: AI fuels wave of citizen's ...
Basic income recipient from Duisburg earns 1,500 euros under the table: “I have to make ends meet”
derwesten.de/staedte/duisburg/buergergeld-jobcenter-duisburg-schwarzarbeit-strafe-ebay-id302131455.html
Basic income recipient from Duisburg earns 1,500 euros under the table: “I ...
Citizen's allowance recipient wants state-funded driver's license: For Jasmin and Maik from "Hartz und herzlich" (a German reality TV show) ...
focus.de/kultur/kino-tv/buergergeld-bezieher-will-fuehrerschein-vom-staat-finanziert-bekommen_ae8cf4b9-d246-4b19-870b-03eb750ea24a.html
Citizen's allowance recipient wants state-funded driver's license
Income without conditions: Future model or license for laziness?: Will AI and robots make work unnecessary and money meaningless, as tech billionaire Musk ...
kleinezeitung.at/artikel/41154275/einkommen-ohne-bedingungen-zukunftsmodell-oder-freibrief-fuers-faulsein
Income without conditions: Future model or license for laziness?
Basic income support instead of citizen's allowance: How much rent the job center will still pay for you
fnp.de/verbraucher/neue-grundsicherung-diese-mietobergrenzen-gelten-nun-in-ihrer-stadt-zr-94417563.html
Basic income support instead of citizen's allowance: How much rent the ...
Key FactsBasic Support: Municipal Rent Limits Differ Sharply
Jul 28, 2026 · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
  • The introduction of basic support in July 2026 ended Bürgergeld; local affordability thresholds, rather than a uniform nationwide dwelling size, determine housing and heating costs.

  • The 12-month grace period now has a ceiling of 150 percent of the municipal guideline, while recipients normally have to cover the rent above that level themselves and the asset-protection grace period has been removed.

  • According to an evaluation by buergergeld.org, one person in Munich may have up to 50 square metres and 911 euros in gross rent excluding heating recognised, compared with 786 euros in Frankfurt am Main and 574 euros in Hamburg.

  • Before requiring a move, the job centre must examine whether housing costs can be reduced reasonably, while people under 25 are generally recognised as eligible for a separate home only for social reasons or for work or training.
“An Expensive but Ineffective Endeavor” – Ukrainians Excluded from the Basic Income: Is the CDU’s Plan Doomed to Fail?
merkur.de/politik/ukrainer-raus-aus-buergeld-scheitert-der-cdu-plan-zr-94422563.html
“An Expensive but Ineffective Endeavor” – Ukrainians Excluded from the ...
Key FactsPlanned benefit shift for Ukrainian refugees remains stalled
Aug 1, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: merkur.de
  • The plan would move people from Ukraine who arrived in Germany after 1 April 2025 from Bürgergeld to benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act, which are expected to be lower.

  • The Federal Cabinet has discussed the bill, but its second and third readings in the Bundestag are still pending, after which the Bundesrat must also consider it.

  • The change would give the Länder and municipalities a greater role in financing and administration; according to SPD lawmaker Jens Peick, there is still no agreement on the federal reimbursement of the additional costs or the relevant cutoff date.

  • Whether the change would save money overall is disputed; calculations by the Federal Ministry of Labour reportedly show little net savings, while Peick warns of substantial administrative work and more difficult access to employment services.
  • I assume that, given the administrative burden, it will ultimately be an expensive, but otherwise ineffective undertaking.
    — Jens Peick, SPD member of the Bundestag and member of the Committee on Labor and Social Affairs; in an interview with Münchner Merkur about the plan to switch Ukrainians from Bürgergeld.
4,003 employable people from the Rotenburg district are currently receiving citizen's income or basic income support in the Rotenburg district ... Show more

Job center of the district: More Ukrainians receive benefits
Neue Grundsicherung statt Bürgergeld: Empfänger müssen Vollzeitstelle annehmen oder bekommen 168 Euro weniger
giessener-allgemeine.de/verbraucher/grundsicherung-jobcenter-kann-wechsel-zu-vollzeitstelle-fordern-zr-94421255.html
Neue Grundsicherung statt Bürgergeld: Empfänger müssen Vollzeitstelle ...
South African-born billionaire and technology entrepreneur Elon Musk says AI and robots could eventually replace many human jobs ... Show more
Citizen's allowance recipient from Duisburg skips job center appointments: "They were too early for me."
derwesten.de/staedte/duisburg/buergergeld-duisbuirg-jobcenter-termin-verpasst-id302121303.html
Citizen's allowance recipient from Duisburg skips job center ...
Backing for UBI Is Growing. Let’s Push for the Most Progressive Version of It.: Universal basic income is not a panacea, and some versions are libertarian — but ...
truthout.org/articles/backing-for-ubi-is-growing-lets-push-for-the-most-progressive-version-of-it/
Backing for UBI Is Growing. Let’s Push for the Most Progressive Version of ...
Challenging Citizen's Benefit Notice: AI-Driven Appeals Overwhelm German Job Centers
az-online.de/verbraucher/buergergeld-bescheid-anfechten-ki-widersprueche-ueberrollen-deutsche-jobcenter-zr-94399632.html
Challenging Citizen's Benefit Notice: AI-Driven Appeals Overwhelm ...
2000 applications written: IT expert has been waiting for citizen's allowance for six months
op-online.de/welt/auf-buergergeld-2000-bewerbungen-geschrieben-it-experte-wartet-seit-sechs-monaten-94394549.html
2000 applications written: IT expert has been waiting for citizen's ...
Brazen welfare fraud: Couple collects social benefits - | despite €54,000 in TikTok earnings
op-online.de/verbraucher/paar-kassiert-buergergeld-trotz-54-000-euro-tiktok-einnahmen-zr-94402026.html
Brazen welfare fraud: Couple collects social benefits - | despite €54 ...
Stricter basic income instead of citizen's income: What the new rules change: Evonik, Ford, suppliers in the region - | many employees are currently ...
donaukurier.de/nachrichten/regionale-wirtschaft/haertere-grundsicherung-statt-buergergeld-was-die-neuen-regeln-veraendern-21555035
Stricter basic income instead of citizen's income: What the new rules ...
Key FactsNew Welfare Reform Enforces Work Requirement from July
Jun 30, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: faz.net
  • Federal Labor Minister Bärbel Bas defends the upcoming welfare reform as a step against benefit misuse.

  • The reform emphasizes commitment, personal responsibility, and the obligation to seek employment.

  • The passive-active transfer is enhanced to promote jobs rather than passive benefit receipt.

  • Non-cooperation by recipients can lead to monthly reductions or complete suspension of benefits.
  • Whoever wants to preserve, modernize and improve the welfare state must not look away here. That is a matter of justice.
    — Said by Bärbel Bas, SPD chair, in an interview with Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung about the Grundsicherung reform.
OpinionCuts to basic income: Does Markus Söder even know how much a doner kebab costs?: A doner kebab is now a luxury for people receiving basic income ...
freitag.de/autoren/janina-luett/kuerzungen-im-buergergeld-weiss-markus-soeder-eigentlich-wieviel-ein-doener-kostet
Cuts to basic income: Does Markus Söder even know how much a doner kebab ...
Due to citizen's allowance abuse: Interior ministers want to tighten access for EU foreigners - | but the numbers tell a different story
op-online.de/verbraucher/anteil-wegen-bandenkriminalitaet-innenminister-wollen-buergergeld-fuer-eu-auslaender-verschaerfen-zahlen-zeigen-mini-zr-94385411.html
Due to citizen's allowance abuse: Interior ministers want to tighten ...